Frost Advisory!

I can tell the seasons are definitely changing in our neck of the woods. The trees are becoming more colorful, the tomatoes are finishing up (yay!), the days are getting shorter and the farmer's are beginning the big harvest. Top that off with our first frost advisory. The low is expected to be around 34 degrees tonight. Time to cover the tender garden plants!

We started our outdoor wood burner for the first time yesterday evening. Works great! No more indoor mess and there should be alot less dusting on my part! One cool thing about this wood burner is that it also heats our water.

Since the weather turned cooler this week, I needed to pull out our light-weight bed comforters and Audrey's footed pj's. Those pj's always look so comfy!

We also started wearing jackets this week. Looks like I better make sure our heavy coats, overalls, hats and mittens are clean and ready to wear!

I canned the last of the tomatoes yesterday. (HUGE sigh of relief!) I will pick whatever is left today and they will be dehydrated this week. I will not try to save the tomato plants from the frost. They have blessed me beyond expectations and anyways, I don't have enough sheets/blankets/anything! to cover all 24 plants. I will try to save the greenbeans, jalapenos and raspberries. The carrots and onions can handle slight freezing so no worries there.

With the major canning done (unless I find a great deal on apples) I will concentrate on getting the remainder of my pantry stocked. This would include things like oils, seasonings, baking supplies and toiletries. Here are some great links that have helped me stock my pantry.

Food Storage Made Easy

Food Storage and Preservation

and a great yahoo group called food-storage:LDS(and friends) Food storage

All three sites are extremely helpful to those wanting to start their own food storage and explaining why alot of us believe in doing so. In my opinion, it just makes sense. I look at it as another form of insurance.

Time to go stir my simmering chili soup and curl up with some sewing and enjoy the quiet while Audrey is still napping!

The Ohio Republic: President Obama: Ohio recovery to take two decades

The Ohio Republic: President Obama: Ohio recovery to take two decades

A must read for all, not just Ohioans. I like Harold's comments on this subject!

An Evening Picture

Looking across the farmland through a light rain shower.






I couldn't decide which one I liked better!

Updates...

Updated the 2009 Food Preservation Tally and How Our Garden Grows 2009 in the right hand column.
Still busy harvesting and canning, so much that I ran out of canning jars and I am now using my MIL's old ones!!

Today around the farm

Snapped a few pictures this afternoon while my little girl was playing outdoors.


The soybean field across the road is beginning to turn yellow.


The trees in our woods are starting to turn also.


View of the garden.


The pole beans have blossomed and set beans now.


Tater tires are about done. Crossing fingers for a good harvest!

A Birthday

Yesterday my little girl turned 2.


We had a family birthday party for her on Sunday evening. Here is the cake I made her:


I was a little leery of doing the cake. This was the first time I ever attempted to "decorate" a cake. I think it turned out pretty good!

Of course, she got spoiled by all the family! She is the only grandchild on my side of the family, so my parents really splurged and gave her this:


Where will I ever go with all the new stuff? And to think, Christmas isn't to far off!

Knee-Deep in Tomatoes!!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes!!! We have tomatoes!

Seems we are picking about a 1/2 bushel of tomatoes every 2 days. Yesterday hubby helped me puree about 70 pounds of them. Today, it is simmering and being canned into spaghetti sauce.


So far we have done salsa, pizza sauce, tomato soup, tomato/veggie juice and now the spaghetti sauce. The plan is to make more soup, juice and sauce. Then possibly some ketchup. Any other ideas?